HAPPY FEET TWO

Australia, 2011, 100 minutes, Colour.
Voices of: Elijah Wood, Ava Acres, Robin Williams, Hank Azaria, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Richard Carter, Pink, Sofia Veragara, Magda Szubanski, Hugo Weaving, Anthony La Paglia, John Goodman.
Directed by George Miller.

This is a cheerful show even if most of the penguins, computer-generated thousands of them, are stranded by a shift in the ice and snow, in need of food, and longing to get to the sea. With lots of little penguins, especially Mumble’s tiny son, Erik, there is enough for the littlies and their parents – despite a sequence where the raiding Alpha Skua swoop on the penguins. Not sure at what age tolerance for penguins, especially singing, dancing and stomping penguins, cuts out.

This sequel can’t have the novelty of the Oscar-winning original. But, there are enough characters to welcome back, Elijah Wood as Mumble, serious now in caring for Erik (Ava Acres) and anxious about Gloria (Pink – singing some songs – replacing the later Brittanny Murphy. Hugo Weaving and Magda Szubanski have cameo roles as the severe Noah and the loud Miss Viola. And Robin Williams is back in two roles, and courting penguin Carmen (Sofia Vergera).

As always, from The Simpsons to The Smurfs, Hank Azaria does scene-stealing voices. This time he is the very Scandinavian, Sven the Puffin, pretending to be a penguin that can fly, helping when he can, though puffining out at times. Then there are the two Krill, Will the Krill and Bill the Krill, whose story runs parallel to the main one until the end, who indulge in lots of repartee and wisecracks – one in a krillion. They are voiced by Brad Pitt and Matt Damon who are obviously enjoying themselves.

My favourite was Richard Carter as Brian the giant sea elephant, very Ocker accent and vocabulary and all (with two littlies who are cutely concerned about their daddy). Since the penguins, judging by their accents, have all migrated from the US, except for Hugo and Magda, Brian offers more than a little local colour and tone. And the stories he is involved in are a bit of excitement instead of us looking so much at the stranded penguins, even though they do sing and dance a lot.

Mumble does a good turn for Brian when he is beached on an ice ledge. Later, there is an appeal to Brian and his company to come to shake the ice (the happy feet aren’t able to do it alone) and make a path to safety for the penguins.

There are excerpts from quite a few songs as well as some originals. When Erik sings to plead with Brian to come, he finds words about his hero father to an aria from Puccini. When, Brian and the herd take to the ice to come to the rescue, it is the theme from Rawhide.

Now that director George Miller has finished Happy Feet Two at last, we all hope that he gets back to his next Mad Max project – and we will be even happier.

1. The popularity of the original film? A welcome sequel? Penguins and popularity? The Antarctic? The imagination? The environmental issues?

2. An Australian production, the quality of the animation, the landscapes and snowscapes, the mountains, the sea? The birds? The sea elephants? The groups, action? The voice cast?

3. The song and dance routines, the range of songs, performance?

4. Audience familiarity, Mumble and his dancing, Miss Viola, Noah, Ramon and Lovelace?

5. The next generation of penguins, Erik, the other small penguins, with Mumbles, Erik with his mother, the range of littlies and their families? Erik not able to fly?

6. The situation, the isolation, the penguins and their being marooned, starving, the need for food, the birds coming and supplying some fish, Noah going to the top of the ice and lamenting, the small group, getting out, organising help, the birds, giving the fish, the birds of prey, Sven and his arrival, the puffin, his help?

7. The communication between the big group and the small group? Their not being able to cross over?

8. Sven, the comic touches, his wanting to be a penguin, really being a puffin, his voice, helping, feeling ashamed to help?

9. Robin Williams as Ramon, Lovelace? The flirting with Carmen? The talk about beauty? Carmen and her place within the group?

10. The sea elephants and their encounter, the personality of the main sea elephant, his accent? The accident, Mumbles and his help? The later appeal for the help for the penguins, interrupting the fight, the Beach Master? The sea elephants coming, as a group, stamping, loosening the ice and snow, able to affect the contact and communication?

11. The effect on the penguins, their being saved?

12. The characters of Bill and Will, the Krills, as an extra for the film, not quite integrated into the plot, their comments, their wisecracks, play on words, their separating, the end, with all the krill, becoming individuals, helping the penguins with the shift of the ice?

13. The appeal to the family audience, to children, to adults?